RI President-elect Mark Daniel Maloney’s theme for 2019-20, Rotary Connects the World, asks Rotarians to strengthen the many ways that Rotary Connects the World, building the connections that allow talented, thoughtful, and generous people to unite and take meaningful action through Rotary service. Click on read more to see PE Mark's full message.
Rotary is built on connection. When Paul Harris came to Chicago as a young lawyer,
he formed Rotary for one compelling reason: to help him connect to others in a new city.
More than a century later, we have at our disposal countless ways to form friendships
and networks, most of which Paul Harris never dreamed. Yet Rotary’s ability to connect
us remains unique — and unrivaled.
Through its distinct mission and structure, Rotary International provides a way to
connect to our communities, to network professionally, and to build strong and lasting
relationships. Our membership connects us to a global community through our countless
projects and programs, our leadership in polio eradication, and our work with and
through the United Nations. Our service connects us to people who share our values, who
want to take action for a better world; it connects us to people we would never otherwise
meet, who are more like us than we could have imagined; and it connects us to people
who need our help, allowing us to change lives in communities around the world.
As a new decade begins, we are shaping Rotary’s future. In 2019-2020, Rotary
will implement its new strategic plan, respond to the innovation of the Council on
Legislation, and serve in our revitalized areas of focus. But the real work of shaping
Rotary’s future lies in our clubs, where our organization must do the most to adapt to
today’s changing realities.
While the club remains the core of the Rotary experience, we are now far more creative
and flexible in deciding what a club can be, how it can meet, and even what can be
considered a Rotary meeting. We need to be organized, strategic, and innovative in how
we approach membership, forging wider and deeper connections to our communities and
forming new club models to attract and engage more — and more diverse — members.
Rotary is indeed a family. Yet too often, the structure of membership or the demands of
leadership seem to place Rotary out of reach for today’s younger professionals. Rotary
can and should be an experience that complements our families instead of competing
with them. When our Rotary clubs are warm, welcoming places where service and
family go hand in hand, we give family-oriented young professionals the opportunity
to embrace Rotary service and model positive civic engagement. And when we make
the expectations of Rotary offices realistic and manageable for busy professionals,
we develop the skills and networks of a new generation of Rotarians — who will become
Rotary leaders.
In 2019-2020, it will be our challenge to strengthen the many ways that Rotary Connects
the World, building the connections that allow talented, thoughtful, and generous people
to unite and take meaningful action through Rotary service.
Mark Daniel Maloney
President, Rotary International, 2019-2020
he formed Rotary for one compelling reason: to help him connect to others in a new city.
More than a century later, we have at our disposal countless ways to form friendships
and networks, most of which Paul Harris never dreamed. Yet Rotary’s ability to connect
us remains unique — and unrivaled.
Through its distinct mission and structure, Rotary International provides a way to
connect to our communities, to network professionally, and to build strong and lasting
relationships. Our membership connects us to a global community through our countless
projects and programs, our leadership in polio eradication, and our work with and
through the United Nations. Our service connects us to people who share our values, who
want to take action for a better world; it connects us to people we would never otherwise
meet, who are more like us than we could have imagined; and it connects us to people
who need our help, allowing us to change lives in communities around the world.
As a new decade begins, we are shaping Rotary’s future. In 2019-2020, Rotary
will implement its new strategic plan, respond to the innovation of the Council on
Legislation, and serve in our revitalized areas of focus. But the real work of shaping
Rotary’s future lies in our clubs, where our organization must do the most to adapt to
today’s changing realities.
While the club remains the core of the Rotary experience, we are now far more creative
and flexible in deciding what a club can be, how it can meet, and even what can be
considered a Rotary meeting. We need to be organized, strategic, and innovative in how
we approach membership, forging wider and deeper connections to our communities and
forming new club models to attract and engage more — and more diverse — members.
Rotary is indeed a family. Yet too often, the structure of membership or the demands of
leadership seem to place Rotary out of reach for today’s younger professionals. Rotary
can and should be an experience that complements our families instead of competing
with them. When our Rotary clubs are warm, welcoming places where service and
family go hand in hand, we give family-oriented young professionals the opportunity
to embrace Rotary service and model positive civic engagement. And when we make
the expectations of Rotary offices realistic and manageable for busy professionals,
we develop the skills and networks of a new generation of Rotarians — who will become
Rotary leaders.
In 2019-2020, it will be our challenge to strengthen the many ways that Rotary Connects
the World, building the connections that allow talented, thoughtful, and generous people
to unite and take meaningful action through Rotary service.
Mark Daniel Maloney
President, Rotary International, 2019-2020
